India’s defence of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was called into question before the series began in Perth. Following a 3-0 loss to New Zealand, India fielded a playing eleven that included four players playing in Australia for the first time, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja missing out.
Being bowled out for 150 on day one of the match was enough to raise more misgivings in the minds of those watching India defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, India, led by Jasprit Bumrah, reminded everyone of their legendary comeback ability, coming back from behind in emphatic manner to secure a momentous 295-run victory over Australia on day four at Perth Stadium on Monday.
The manner and margin of India’s spectacular win at Perth Stadium has given them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, and it is also their largest Test win by runs margin away from home. It is also the second time India has won the first match in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, having done it in Adelaide in 2018.
Bumrah, the mastermind behind India’s epic victory in Perth, took eight wickets, including the game-changing spell of 5-30, which gave them a 46-run advantage and single-handedly blew away Australia.
As Perth 2024 approaches, the contributions of second innings centurions Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, as well as KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Siraj, will be remembered for a long time as Perth 2024 is now added to the list of glorious overseas Test wins for India.
Starting day four at 13-2, chasing 534 was always going to be a daunting task for Australia. Despite Travis Head’s counterattacking 89 and local Mitchell Marsh’s 47, Australia were bowled out for 238 shortly after tea, with Bumrah and Siraj grabbing three wickets each.
Brief Scores: India 150 in 49.4 overs and 487/6 dec in 134.3 overs lead Australia 104 in 51.2 overs and 238 in 58.4 overs (Travis Head 89, Mitchell Marsh 47; Mohammed Siraj 3-51, Jasprit Bumrah 3-42) by 295 runs
Source: IANS